Art Talk last week

We had a great crowd for the first Art Talk of 2007. Since our current exhibition, Views from the Vault, includes a number of works by Gulf Coast modernist Dusti Bongé (1903-1993), we invited David Houston to come tell us about her life and work. David is curator of the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans. Julian Brunt, director of the Dusti Bongé Foundation in Biloxi, brought a selection of artworks owned by the estate to show the audience.

Here's David (who is actually flanked by two Maltby Sykes prints):



And here's Julian showing us a rarely-seen work from the foundation's collection:



David also updated us on the ongoing recovery efforts at the Ogden and in the New Orleans art community in general. The Ogden is open three days a week, is within walking distance of the World War II Museum (the former D-Day Museum), and well worth the trip.

Views from the Vault

We are holding over "Views from the Vault" for a few days; you can still come see it on Tuesday, January 23.

Mississippi Arts Commission town hall meetings

SAVE THE DATE!

The Mississippi Arts Commission is coming to your community!

We hope you will join us to share your thoughts and ideas as we plan for the future. These valuable public networking opportunities will help improve the services offered by the Commission.

We are still in the planning phase, but we want you to mark your calendars now

To participate in one of these "town hall" meetings call 601/359-6030 or email info@arts.state.ms.us. There is no charge to attend and lunch will be served.

January 12 – Laurel ( Facilitators: Kim Whitt (Leader), Judi Holifield, Diane Williams)
Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, 5th Avenue at 7th Street


January 23 – Brookhaven (Facilitators: Allison Winstead (Leader), Kim Whitt)

January 26 – Booneville (Facilitators: Kim Whitt (Leader), Malcolm White, Judi Holifield)

January 30 – Clinton (Facilitators: Lee Ann Powell (Leader), Judi Cleary, Maureen Donelly)

February 5 – Cleveland (Facilitators: Judi Cleary (Leader), Diane Williams, Kim Whitt)

February 6 – Oxford (Facilitators: Diane Williams (Leader), Judi Cleary, Judi Holifield, Morrie Warshawski)

February 6 - Louisville (Facilitators: Larry Morrisey (Leader), Kim Whitt, Judi Cleary, Morrie Warshawski)

All meetings will take place between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. with the exception of the Louisville meeting. It will take place between 6-8 p.m. Meeting locations are still being established, but please feel free to contact any one of our program directors/leading facilitators for more information.

Morrie Warshawski is the consultant that is working with the Mississippi Arts Commission and the townhall meetings. Arts Commission board members will also be in attendance.



For more information, contact:

Diane Williams
Arts Industry Program Director - Accessibility Coordinator
Mississippi Arts Commission
501 North West Street
Woolfolk Building - 701B
Jackson, MS 39201
(601) 359-6529
(601) 359-6008

baskets on tour!

A selection of our Native American baskets are now on display at the Booth Western Museum in Cartersville, Georgia (north of Atlanta). I'll be speaking about the collection & the baskets on Saturday night at the members' opening.

Click here for more info.

HOLIDAY HOURS

The Lauren Rogers Museum of Art will be closed for the holidays on:

December 24
December 25
December 31
January 1

Otherwise, our regular schedule remains the same:

Tuesday - Saturday 10 am to 4:45 pm
Sunday 1 pm to 4 pm

Happy holidays!

I can't wait to read this!

Rescuing da Vinci

The link goes to an article about a new book about the "Monuments Men" (which included some women, of course)... these are the people who helped recover art from Nazi strongholds after World War II. This book will make an excellent companion to the other two great books on the topic of Nazi-era art thefts, The Rape of Europa and The Lost Museum

For information on how Nazi-era art thefts affect museums today, including the Lauren Rogers Museum, click here

Christmas class!

Last week we had a holiday art class for kids aged 6-12, and they had some fun:





The kids got into the holiday spirit as they made gingerbread men, silly Santas, and artsy angels.

Art Historians' Guide to the Movies

Art Historians' Guide to the Movies

Ever wondered what those paintings are at the end of 2001: A Space Odyssey? Where Jason and the Argonauts was filmed? Is that really Robert Rauschenberg in Vanilla Sky? This website is the definitive guide to art in the movies; it's constantly being updated by the website owner and his many contributors.

U B U W E B :: Film & Video

U B U W E B :: Film & Video

Artier and Weirder than YouTube: UBU's archive of film and video of and by some of the most important artists of the century. Marcel Duchamp, Joseph Beuys, Kiki Smith, and dozens more. If you've got broadband and some spare time, this is the place to see video you'll never find at your local rental place. Richard Serra! Vito Acconci! Rachel Whiteread! Seriously, check this website out.

We love Very Special Arts Festival

Last Friday, at least 150 kids and their teachers joined us at the Cameron Center for a Magical Very Special Arts Festival. The students enjoyed art stops, free balloons, a magic show, and lunch in the park on a beautiful fall day. We are, as always, grateful for the assistance provided by volunteers from the Laurel Arts League and Laurel's Junior Auxiliary.

Authors, Books, Pens: Tuesday, November 28

During our Museum Shop Open House, we have four authors coming in to sign books:

John David Williams and Catherine Strange will be signing Fearless Entertaining from 10 AM to 12 PM.

Wyatt Waters will sign his latest, The Year of the Stars, from 12 - 2 PM.

Robert St. John will be signing Deep South Parties from 12 - 2 PM

Holidays are coming up!

We've got a lot going on here in preparation for the holidays.

The museum is closed on Thanksgiving Day but open the rest of the holiday weekend, so if you're in the area or have out-of-town visitors, don't hesitate to stop by.

The Museum Shop is holding its holiday open house on Tuesday, November 28. We've got authors signing books, lots of great deals, and as always, excellent tasty treats. Lots of people (including staff!) do their holiday shopping at the open house. We've got a lot of great gift items, from kids' toys, books, and art kits to Choctaw baskets, Mississippi-made pottery, books, and one-of-a-kind jewelry.

We will be closed Friday December 1 through Sunday December 3, due to our annual Gala fundraiser on December 2nd. We've got some exciting auction items coming in for both the live and silent auctions, and I hope to have some pictures of some of them to post in the next week or so.

As always, details about all of our programs can be found on the main website: Lauren Rogers Museum of Art

Time is running out!

Saved from the Storm is closing this coming Sunday, November 12, so if you haven't had a chance to get here, November 12th is your last chance.

The following week, Miniature Worlds: Art from India will be closing down. November 19th, the Sunday before Thanksgiving, is the last day.

Once these shows come down, there will be no exhibitions in the Stairwell Gallery or the Lower Level Galleries until December, but our permanent collection galleries will still be open to the public.

last collections workshops coming up soon

The final opportunity to attend a Collection Recovery Workshop for institutions led by conservators from the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation is scheduled for Thursday, November 16. The subject is "Furniture and Wooden Objects."

There are openings remaining and anyone interested in attending should email
epope@mdah.state.ms.us. The Collection Recovery Workshops for Institutions are held on the campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Gulfport. The workshops, which begin at 9:00 a.m. and end around 4:00 p.m., focus on responding and stabilizing water-damaged objects.



The final Collection Recovery Workshop open to the public is scheduled for Natchez at the Historic Natchez Foundation, (Commerce and Main Streets), Saturday November 18, Furniture and Wooden Objects.

Public Workshops are from 1:30 to 4:00 p.m. Registration is not necessary for the public workshops.

Trick-Art-Treat!

Last wednesday a lively group of young artists got ready for Halloween in our Trick-Art-Treat class, taught by Education Curator Mark Brown. The students painted pumpkins, made treat bags, made masks, and, along the way, made a mess! Fun was had by all:

Art Talk follow-up

Rolland Golden and John Kemp spoke to an enthusiastic audience in our Lower Level Galleries on October 19, and followed up with a book-signing in the lobby/gift shop area.

Our next Art Talk is October 19th

The Lauren Rogers Museum of Art will present painter Rolland Golden as its next Art Talk speaker on Thursday, October 19 from noon to 1:00 p.m. in the Lower Level Lecture Hall.

Rolland Golden’s career as a professional artist began in 1957. Known for his portrayals of the rural South including his native New Orleans French Quarter, Golden brings a certain sensitivity to his landscapes that only a Southern artist with long ties to the land can bring. He is a three-time recipient of the National Arts Club First Place Award, a two-time winner of the Thomas Hart Benton Purchase Award, winner of the Winslow Homer Memorial Award, and many others. He has exhibited his work both nationally and internationally, including a one-artist show that toured the Soviet Union in 1976 and 1977. His paintings appear in numerous private and public collections, including those of Columbia Pictures, the New Orleans Museum of Art, the National Arts Club, and the Pushkin Museum in Moscow.

John R. Kemp’s book “The Journeys of a Southern Artist” features Golden’s work and will be available in the Museum Shop for purchase and signing by the artist immediately following Art Talk.

Art Talk, sponsored by West Quality Food Service, Inc., is free and open to the public. Guests are invited to bring a sack lunch. Desserts and beverages will be provided. For more information, call LRMA at 601-649-6374 or visit the website www.LRMA.org.

Heritage Festival 2006

Saturday, October 7th was a lovely fall day for an arts festival with musical performances, art activities, art demonstrations, and free pizza. Several hundred kids & adults enjoyed the day on the LRMA lawn.

The Cowboy Blues Band provided entertainment:














... a mustachioed blues"man" in training took the stage for "Ride, Sally, Ride":



















Artist Charles Crossley helped young artists do their own collages & paintings:



































Local woodcarving artist Ben Morgan demonstrated woodturning on his lathe:





And, apparently, kids and their parents weren't the only ones enjoying the fine weather and entertainment:



Who knew doggies dug the blues?

Art Talk

"Art Talk" is one of our ongoing programs here at LRMA. The third Thursday of most months (excluding December and summertime), we have a brown-bag lecture at noon. We provide drinks & dessert, you can bring your own lunch. Last month, we had Penny Kemp from the Riley Performaing Arts Center speak.





Kemp is Marketing Director of the Mississippi State University Riley Performing Arts Center located in the heart of downtown Meridian. She will discuss the $25 million renovation project that includes a broadcast studio, 30,000 square foot conference facility, and the Grand Opera House of Mississippi, which has been fully restored to its 1890s grandeur. I for one am excited about the ambitious programming at the Riley Center, and am looking forward to visiting it. I may even have to borrow some children so I can go to some of the kids' events.

Looking for more information about conservation?

One of the best online resources for information on conservation & preservation of all kinds of materials is the National Park Service's Conserve-o-Gram series.